Sometimes, Silence is Enough
by Autumn Willow
Summary: Previously 'Photographs' Hotaru has been away for 7 years. Guess who turns up at her doorstep?
1. Chapter 1

December 14, 2007 (**Edited: **May 19, 2008)

**Photographs**

Chapter Summary: Imaii Hotaru has been away from Japan for 7 years. Guess who turns up at her doorstep?

**Chapter 1**

Imaii Hotaru bowed as a man with small eyes, crooked nose and yellow skin wearing a business suit thanked her.

"Arigato Imaii-san. We will be sure to send you the papers by Monday." He too bowed before he exited the room.

Hotaru, unused to being addressed as such, flinched inwardly. Seven years took a lot from a person, including the comfort of using cultural formalities, especially when one spends time in a culture with less formality.

Hotaru inhaled, thinking about her day's work, then blinked as a voice suddenly spoke.

"It's 5:00 Miss Hotaru." It was Sam, her electronic assistant.

"Oh. Arigato, Sam." The face on her screen, previously sporting blond hair and blue eyes, as it was programmed to normally do, suddenly had small eyes and short black hair. And then smiled at Hotaru.

"Don't forget to transfer your researched files before you go Miss Hotaru. And Miss Anna reminds you of a meeting on Friday, at 6:00 in the evening."

Hotaru nodded as she moved folders and placed unneeded papers in a shredder, all the while trying to memorize the schedule she had on her head.

For the level of intelligence Hotaru has, one would think she would be the type who never forgets anything. But alas, Hotaru, being Hotaru, is prone to forget things she deemed less important than her current work. Given that she forgets meetings with clients, it's still no surprise that she never runs out of them. For who else can keep up with the great Hotaru Imaii? None, of course. At least, that's what Hotaru believes. And so shall we.

Hotaru finished up clearing her desk and as she was getting her coat and bag, Sam spoke again.

"Miss Hotaru, what shall I do with the flowers?" Sam had reverted back to his usual blond appearance.

Hotaru paused and glanced at the enormous bouquet of flowers that sat on the table on the side. She almost forgot about the flowers Joe Fields, one of her more persistent "suitors", sent her earlier that day. With an exasperated breath, she decided to bring the flowers home for once. Her kitchen counter at home could use a new set of fresh flowers.

"Goodbye Miss Hotaru. Please be careful on your way home."

"Thank you Sam. Goodbye." Hotaru headed for the elevator.

--

As Hotaru emerged from the elevator with a customized bag (with a more customized laptop inside) and the huge bouquet of flowers, a girl working as an intern for one of her people walked up to her.

"Miss Hotaru, someone is here to s—"

"Ah! My beautiful Hotaru!"

Hotaru stopped but, being who she was, showed no reaction whatsoever save for the small smile and nod she gave the intern, and the brief glance she gave to the unwanted visitor.

Standing there exuding an overflowing sense of confidence and arrogance was Joe Fields. Neat and sparkling from top to bottom, yet conveying a sense of mischief or, as if he just did something bad, with his eyes and smile, Joe Fields is easily the most sought after bachelor in the city.

Joe Fields gave Hotaru a grin and upon noticing the bouquet of flowers in Hotaru's hand, stopped short and said, "So I'm finally getting somewhere." And gave her a wink.

Hotaru inwardly rolled her eyes and thought she could not have picked a worse time to decide to bring home the flowers he sent. She just looked at him and said, "Mr. Fields, if you need anything you could just leave a message and Sam will send it to me."

She was about to walk off when Joe Fields took a step closer to her and said in a voice that Hotaru thought was meant to entice and seduce her but made her irritable instead, "Need? Oh you know very well what, or _who_ I need Hotaru."

Then he took another step closer and lowered his voice, probably thinking it made him sound sexy, "How about you spend the night at my mansion? We could, you know, _get to know_ each other." His eyes glazed as his mind went off to a place, which Hotaru had no intention of even thinking about. Fortunately, Joe Fields had this weird tendency to go into a daydream even in the most important of times. And Hotaru took this chance to walk off into freedom.

Even though Hotaru clearly disliked the man, his company is one of the oldest clients Hotaru has. His father is one of the earlier buyers of her inventions and was one of the reasons why she is where she is now. So she considered Joe Fields a very lucky man.

Hotaru was stepping through the door when suddenly a puppy came up to her and started jumping up and down, barking happily at her.

Hotaru looked at the puppy wagging it's tail excitedly.

A puppy. In the city. Whose puppy is this?

Hotaru looked around and across the street, but no one seemed to be looking for a puppy. She looked back down at the puppy, which had sat down on the ground, looking up at her with her tongue out, wagging her tail, as if expecting something from her.

For a moment Hotaru and the puppy stared at each other.

Then Hotaru turned, stepping away from the puppy and went to walk on down the street to where her car was parked.

She glanced behind her and was relieved to find that the puppy didn't follow her.

--

As Hotaru parked her car in her garage, automatic lights came on and Sam greeted her on a TV screen beside the door to her house.

"Welcome home Miss Hotaru."

Hotaru turned off the engine, picked her things and went inside.

"Miss Hotaru, somebody went by looking for you. He left a message." Sam told her.

"Okay, let me see it." Hotaru set the flowers' on the sink, hoping it wasn't from a lunatic by the name of Joe Fields.

The screen played the message while Hotaru set up her laptop on the table.

"Good… morning Hotaru" said the voice uncertainly. "How are you?"

The voice made Hotaru stop.

The message played on. "I'm sorry for not calling before I showed up here, but I wanted to surprise you. I was hoping you'd be home when I dropped by, but apparently you aren't. So I decided to leave this message when the computer asked me."

That voice… Hotaru looked up at the screen abruptly and, sure enough, there was the smiling face of a blond-haired, four-eyed Yuu, who was looking quite uncertain at the camera.

"I hope you're doing well. If it's all right, I think it would be great to be able to catch up on things. I'm not the only one who's here … but don't worry I'll be back another day, and I'll be sure to call you ahead of time so my visit wouldn't be so fruitless. Or you can call me if you want," a number flashed through the screen.

Hotaru stared at the screen.

"Well, till then Hotaru. Have a good day." With a smile and a wave, the message ended.

Hotaru was still staring at the screen long after the message was finished.

She can't believe he was here. After seven years…

Sure, she kept in touch with her friends by mail, but they never saw each other except through videos, web cams, and pictures.

He said he's not the only one here… Who else?

Just then, her phone rang, startling her.

She blinked as she heard the computer answer the phone for her. She forgot to switch off the command.

"HOTARUUUUUUU!" came a loud scream.

Hotaru smiled.

"Guess what Hotaruuuu!" the girl on the other end giggled.

"Don't be so loud, Mikan." Hotaru said picking up the phone.

"Oh Hotaruuuuu! You're home!" said a surprised Mikan. Then she got excited even more, if one could imagine that. "Guess where Yuu and I are Hotaru!"

Hotaru smiled inwardly at the familiar voice.

"I just saw Yuu's message when he came by."

"Oh…" Mikan's voice seemed to lose energy. "Well… aren't you glad Hotaru?"

Hotaru rolled her eyes "I'm not like you. I don't squeal whenever I'm happy."

Mikan, having known Hotaru since they were kids, immediately reverted back to excitement. "So when do you want us over? I'm really, really, _really_ excited Hotaru! I can't wait to see you!"

"I don't have work tomorrow."

"Really? Oh really, really, REALLYYY?? Oh that's so great Hotaru! Okay, I'll tell Yuu! We'll be there before lunch, is that okay Hotaru? Oh no…" Hotaru heard a beeping sound which sounded a lot like a smoke alarm in the background and then a whole lot of clattering and then, "Wait Hotaru, I have to go! We'll see you tomorrow!!" and Mikan was gone.

Hotaru took a deep breath. It was just like Mikan to get in trouble just like that. Hotaru wondered what could have happened but was not worried for she knew that if Mikan had a knack for getting into trouble, she also had a knack of getting out of them unhurt.

Hotaru smiled at the thought that both of her friends were here. It has been too long since they last got together. It gives her a nice break from work.

She looked at her clock and saw that it was only a quarter before six. She felt like going out for dinner. She smiled a teeny-weeny smile. She wasn't too good of a cook and she was feeling rather choosy tonight.

--

Hotaru decided to walk to clear her head a little, having experienced high levels of stress and excitement (though she would never say so out loud) in such a short period of time. Luckily, she was not too far from downtown.

Still dressed in her semi-formal work suit, Hotaru put on a scarf and a coat. It wasn't freezing outside, but Hotaru didn't like the cold.

Carrying her purse which double functioned as a purse, and an electric organizer (if you look at it closely, it had buttons on it and a hole from which it projected a screen of her planner) that can also be used as a communication device, Hotaru stepped out onto her driveway and commanded Sam to secure the locks.

Her house wasn't really big, but it was equipped with the most advanced technology there is. Of course, it didn't cost as much as it should have when paying to have them installed. She built most of it herself and had a bit of help setting and wiring it around the house. The house itself used to be her parents' house, which she had renovated to accommodate her lifestyle.

As Hotaru stepped on her driveway, she imagined what Mikan would say once she's been inside her house. And as she did so, a bark jarred her out of her musing, and almost made her jump.

Almost.

She turned, and was only slightly surprised that the same puppy she saw earlier was there on the other side of the street. This time, however, the puppy was barking from a leash that a person wearing a cap talking on his cell phone was loosely holding.

The puppy excitedly barked at her again, wagging its tail, and then suddenly made a run in her direction, pulling the leash so suddenly that the leash slipped out of the owner's hand.

"Hey!" The owner shouted to the puppy.

The puppy crossed the street and ran up to her, once again jumping up and down and barking at her happily.

The owner got off his phone and quickly crossed the street to Hotaru's driveway.

The puppy seemed to get more excited, and barked even louder.

"Bad doggie, _bad_ doggie." He reprimanded the puppy, crouching down to it.

But the puppy didn't seem to mind and kept on barking happily at Hotaru.

He took hold of the puppy's leash and stood up.

"I'm so sorry. It's the first time she ever did that so I wasn't expecting her to go chasing any… one…"

Hotaru wondered why he slowed down speaking and as she looked up at him, her pulse quickened and her eyes widened as she saw just exactly why.

* * *

**Edited: May 19, 2008  
****Author's Note:**

Well, I really liked this story and because I could not continue writing without editing the first few chapters I uploaded, I decide to edit it while on vacation here in Los Angeles, CA.

I added a new character, re-wrote quite a bit of the story while retaining the original plot, and basically just polished it as best as I could in one day. I have gotten quite a bit of emails telling me to continue this fic, and because I originally wanted to finish it but got sidelined by school and a lot of other matters, I decided to start editing and try to continue on with it. It may be the thing to get me going.

I do terribly miss writing, and I hope that all of you will like the revision I made. I tried to make it better than it was, so tell me what you think. )

Lots of love,  
Autumn Willow (a.k.a. Chanteusse)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2

* * *

**

Soft music played in the background and lights glowed softly in this restaurant in which Hotaru was given the special treatment whenever she was visiting.

In this case, there were two of them who were given special treatment.

The waiter she had come to acknowledge almost as a friend had a twinkle in his eye as he eyed her and her companion. And just as the waiter gave them their menus, he gave Hotaru a subtle wink which, alas, was noticed by her companion.

"I see you finally brought someone with you, Miss Hotaru." The waiter turned to the person across the table. "We are very pleased to have you as Miss Hotaru's guest." With a smile, he said he will return later for their orders.

Hotaru looked at her companion who seemed to be having trouble deciding which to order.

She remembered how they met earlier.

It was quite a surprise, really. The least person she expected to see on her doorstep (or drive way, whichever), was Ruka Nogi.

Now that she thought about it, the puppy should've been a warning. But then again, it could've been anyone's puppy, couldn't it?

Hotaru smiled inwardly as she thought of the stunned expression Ruka wore when they met. At least she's not the only one surprised.

For a moment, none of them spoke a word, and only when the puppy started barking happily had either of them uttered words of surprised 'hello's' and 'how are you's'.

It was when Hotaru felt her stomach grumble that she remembered why she was out side. And she was about to cut their meeting short when Ruka asked her if she'd like to go get some dinner with him, so they can catch up on things too. She would have refused had her stomach not grumbled in protest, and so she agreed. And besides, now she could put into good use the connections she's got with this classy restaurant.

And that was how they ended up sitting face to face in an expensive restaurant, looking like a couple on a date.

Hotaru sighed exasperatedly as she saw yet another one of the waiters, who's come to know her, smile mischievously at her after noticing Ruka.

Hotaru mentally rolled her eyes and turned to ask Ruka, "What will you be having?"

Ruka looked up from the menu, and grinned sheepishly at her. "They all look so good… I can't decide which." He paused looking thoughtful. "How about I'll have whatever you're having?"

"Fine." And she called for the waiter.

They put their menus aside as they waited for their waiter.

Ruka looked around the place. "Wow... what a place this is." He said, taking in the interior of the restaurant.

The restaurant had an ambience that's warm, inviting, romantic and friendly, all at the same time. Everywhere one's eyes landed, there seemed to be something of interest. At this point, Ruka was particularly interested in the paintings that hung on the walls of the restaurant and his eyes got caught on the one not too far away from them.

"Yes. It's nice." As always, Hotaru answered with a voice that lacks enthusiasm.

Ruka's eyes wandered over the details of the painting, feeling something click inside his head. Squinting in an effort to look at the painting harder, he almost jumped in surprise as a voice suddenly spoke to him.

"Doesn't it look familiar, sir?" the waiter was back and showed a hint of a grin.

"Oh stop it Stanley." Hotaru suddenly said, now obvious that she's a regular at this oh-so-expensive restaurant. "He doesn't need to know."

"Ah, but I think he will anyway, Miss Hotaru." And at this Stanley the waiter winked at her.

Hotaru waved it away and then proceeded to telling their orders to Stanley, who kept glancing at Ruka as if wanting to hint him about the painting.

Ruka looked from Hotaru to Stanley and back at the painting.

He frowned.

That's when it clicked.

"It's you!" He suddenly exclaimed at Hotaru.

For a moment, it's as if time stood still but just then, Stanley let out a good-hearted laugh and said, "Ah! Now he knows!"

Hotaru couldn't have looked any different.

Ruka stared at the painting.

In the painting, Hotaru donned a knee-length, dark-purple, sleeveless dress which seemed to emphasize the color of her eyes and fit her snugly as well. She was really pretty. But that's not what made this picture astonishing to this blonde-haired man.

It was the expression Hotaru had. She was smiling softly, with a twinkle in her eyes. Eyes which, though curved in an expression rarely seen upon her face, still convey knowledge beyond her years.

To Ruka, this was almost like seeing something with such rarity, even to the point that this might be the _only_ time he gets to see it, that he felt the need to somehow, make that moment come alive again by any means and see it for himself.

"You don't need to stare at it you know." A voice startled him out of his obvious bedazzlement by the painting.

He blinked and looked at Hotaru who stared quite stoically at him. He felt sheepish once again. And he wondered how much more cheesy his mind can get, blushing inwardly at his thoughts earlier on.

Geez. He was getting too corny even if it's just inside his mind.

Shaking his head slightly, he decided not to say anything about it till later. And just as he was about to speak, their food arrived.

---

Back at the academy, Hotaru was usually found in the company of one happy-go-lucky girl, Mikan Sakura and a smart and kind-hearted, Yuu Tobita. If not in the company of these two, she would be found by herself, tinkering with her inventions. But if found on neither occasions, that can mean only one thing.

She's capturing Ruka's most embarrassing situations on film. Otherwise, she's running away from Ruka whose reputation is on the line.

But there was nothing poor Ruka could do to keep her from taking those pictures. And so their chase became sort of a habit.

They kept this up until one day, when they were 15.

-

It was an ordinary autumn after noon. Hotaru has just managed to escape Ruka by flying up to the rooftop of their dormitory.

She knew though, that it would only be a matter of minutes until Ruka comes up to find her. He has many friends, yes. Animal friends, to be exact. Hotaru grimaced at such a disadvantage.

But she has to admit, even if only to herself, that she enjoys blackmailing Ruka. It sounded cruel, yes. But she also knew that it wasn't only her who's enjoying the chase. She smiled to herself and sat down to wait for Ruka.

She had a great view from up here. Below her was a sea of red, gold and brown. Beyond it was the orange sky, and the even more orange setting sun.

Unbeknownst to most, Hotaru loved great views such as these, so she immediately set about looking for the right angle at which to capture the view, also something almost no one knows about her – her great photographic sense. She smiled as she clicked away.

She was about to take her fifth shot when she heard a screech and suddenly, through the lens of her camera, she saw Ruka being dropped off the roof by an eagle.

"I got you now!" Ruka grinned. It was only a game.

Hotaru, with her ever expressionless face, only gave him a look and pointed her camera behind him.

Puzzled, Ruka turned around.

Hotaru had a side-view of Ruka and watched as his face turned into awe at the beautiful image they got to see.

Suddenly, all adrenaline from the chase seemed to drain out of both and neither one wanted to leave and skip out on the scenery.

The sun was only minutes away from dipping itself behind the horizon.

Suddenly, Ruka sat down on his spot, instantly forgetting what he came up here for.

"It's awesome." He said in almost a whisper.

Hotaru looked at him and then sat down on her spot.

There they were, watching the sun set, admiring it's majestic appearance as it sent out orange rays as if to say not to worry for it'll be back the next morning to grace this half of the earth again with it's light.

Did they look like a couple enjoying the sunset together? No. In fact, far from it.

They weren't sitting side by side, nor were they minding each other, looking at each others eyes, burning with love and passion. No. They were simply… there.

After that, when their friends are busy with other stuff, one would find the other on the same roof, and both doesn't not seem to mind the silent company of the other.

Yes. Without saying so, they enjoyed the comfortable silence that reigned upon them every time they were alone. Sometimes one would say something out of thought, then the other would reply, and then they're back again with the comfort of silence.

Each of their best friends noticed the seemingly increasing time they spent together and went to bug them what it is they do when they're alone. But both would always easily evade the question, until such time that their other classmates started noticing too.

They would have been the center of attention had not Natsume and Mikan brought attention to themselves by finally admitting that they do like each other.

That's when they talked.

-

"You liked her, didn't you?" Hotaru didn't need to say who she was talking about.

When Ruka didn't answer, Hotaru turned to him.

She watched his jaw tighten as he looked ahead.

"You should've told her."

At this, Ruka shook his head.

"Why not?"

Ruka paused, and then finally answered, "Natsume."

Hotaru took a long look at him and then said, "Mikan's not much of a loss you know."

Turning to her abruptly, Ruka can't believe he was hearing this from Mikan's supposed best friend! But then again… Hotaru had always been like that… And he supposed she was just trying to make him feel better.

With a resigned sigh, the silence overtook them both again.

From then on, they would talk about random things, and relish the silence that came with it at the same time. It was really curious how they enjoyed each other's company whether in silence or not.

They continued doing this until the day Hotaru had to leave.

---

And so, just as before, they enjoyed the silence that blanketed them as much as they enjoyed their conversations while they ate the presumptuous meal that has been prepared for them.

Unlike other people, with them, no words are needed. The presence of the other even after a long absence is enough to bring comfort.

Both seemed content with the companionship they still shared until Hotaru mentioned something that caused a curious tug at her chest, and unknowingly, the other's chest too.

* * *

**A/N:**

Yay. Another chapter finished. : )

Hopefully, this might be enough for one week for you guys. Heh. Cuz starting tomorrow, I'll be gone for vacation:D

But only for one week though, so no frets. :)

Anyway, if there is anything up there which seemed to be there for no apparent reason, don't worry. :) I will provide one in due time. :) I mean, it's too early on in the chapters to have everything explained eh?

**Another thing:**

I might change the title. It might already be changed by the time you read this though...

(If anyone wants to know, we're headed to the southern part of my country which is… Mindanao! yay. I've never been there so I'm really excited:D)

Thanks for reading!

Autumn Willow


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**:

I know I promised to update as soon as I get back, but after working on **Only You**, inspiration suddenly decided to leave me. Because of that, I couldn't write. Add to that the fact that the pages which I _was_ able to write, for some reason, got deleted.

So yeah, here I am, attempting to write once again.

I hope you enjoy. :)

--------------

**Chapter 03**

--------------

Glancing at the person across from him and hearing her mention her best friend's name; Ruka couldn't help but relive some of his memories.

--

Feeling depressed and somewhat heartbroken, Ruka felt as if he could never be happy again. Of course, that's exaggeration, but that's usually how people are whenever they're feeling quite as emotional as he is now.

Whenever he saw his best friend and Mikan in the room, he'd have a very strong urge to leave, one that required a large amount of effort just to resist.

While Mikan remained oblivious to this, Natsume noticed and began to ask him about it, worried that Ruka might not be happy with him being with Mikan. But Ruka somehow managed to convince Natsume the nothing was wrong and was in fact, very happy for the two of them. Ruka managed to fool everyone save for one.

Ruka always had a distinct feeling that Hotaru never quite believed him. But he was thankful she didn't push the subject.

He remembered every Christmas. After a self-battle of whether he should go or not, he'd decide that he would go, if at least to show face. But after seeing Mikan's face light up as she opened Natsume's gift to her and then smile at him that sweet smile, he'd suddenly have a strong urge to punch something, and sometimes even, some_one_. Feeling as if he's about to burst, Ruka would decide to leave.

But then Hotaru would be there. She would put her hand on his shoulder and hand him her gift. Then she would engage him in a conversation which would somehow turn into a debate, or if not, she would surprise him by snapping a picture of him and they would then play the game they had always played before.

He didn't know how truly grateful he was for her until she left Japan for work.

And suddenly, Ruka felt so alone.

--

For a while, Ruka busied himself, drowned himself in his work, and always used it as an excuse just so he wouldn't have to spend time with his friends. He knew he was being a coward and he hated himself for it, but he'd rather be alone. There wasn't anyone else he can talk to anyway.

Then one day he received a phone call.

--

"Hello?" Ruka tiredly answered the phone.

"Are you planning to spend your whole life drowning in work and being depressed?"

Ruka's brows shot up in surprise and it took him a moment to answer, not really believing if the voice belonged to who he thinks. "Hotaru?"

Silence.

Ruka suddenly felt a tug at his chest. It's Hotaru! His companion. His friend. "Yeah, it's you." Ruka said to the phone, smiling. Suddenly, he didn't feel so tired anymore.

"Are you not going to answer my question?" Hotaru asked stoically but smiling inwardly as she heard the change in Ruka's voice.

Ruka sighed. "No. Of course not." He said in answer to her first question.

"Then next time, I better not hear Mikan complain about you being a hermit crab."

Ruka wondered. "You called just to tell me _this_?" He did not believe she would call _just _to tell him that.

"Mikan has me up to my ears complaining about you, always being unable to go with them. If she keeps it up, I won't be able to do my work properly so I had to call you."

"Right."

Silence.

"Hn." Ruka didn't know what else to say.

Silence.

More silence.

"Are you still there? ..." Ruka asked, thinking he'd feel stupid if Hotaru had already hung up, and was relieved when Hotaru answered.

"Yes."

"How is it there?" Ruka began asking, suddenly eager to know everything that's happened since she went away.

So they talked. And talk they did for hours on end.

By the time they hung up, Ruka realized it was their first ever phone conversation. He made a mental note to remember the date, though, not really knowing what for.

Ruka got up and stretched. Hm… He felt good. Good enough to go for a jog.

And this was when he unknowingly started getting over Mikan.

--

"They're going over tomorrow before lunch." Hotaru explained to him. "And if you want, you can come by too." There was a touch of quietness in her voice as she spoke the last line, which Ruka supposed Hotaru didn't want him to notice.

--

Ruka got a job offering he can't refuse. He gets sent to different places - forests, mountains, deserts, reefs, oceans, almost anywhere he can think of! But as exciting and exhilarating his job was, it made him almost, if not, unreachable.

That was just 3 years ago.

--

Ruka, while on one of his trips, contemplated about his feelings for Mikan, and was surprised to find that he had actually already made peace with it. He couldn't tell how long and since when, but that didn't matter anyway. As long as he is.

--

Now, he realized Hotaru might be thinking that it's still a delicate topic with him. He smiled inwardly at the thought of her concern, but he felt it important to tell her.

Only… he had no idea how to bring it up.

But… he HAD to tell her. He felt a tug in his chest, as if urging him to do it now. He didn't know why, but he felt it imperative to tell her. He wanted to protest, but as soon gave up and started to summon his courage.

Taking a deep breath, he started somewhat shakily. "Imai…"

Hotaru looked up at Ruka. Over the years, she had learned that whenever Ruka had something important to say, or just when he's serious, he would call her that. And she sensed that this was really important.

"Well… I…" Suddenly, it was as if drums started beating in his chest. He had no idea how to say it!

Hotaru gave the stammering Ruka an odd look. Hotaru could only remember one other time he saw him stammering. And it was because of her best friend. Now, she wondered what Ruka had to say that's so important, or serious, that it would make him stammer.

"I-it's about… M-mi-aaah!" a loud ringing and vibration in his pocket almost made him jump.

He fumbled with his cell phone and by the time he answered it, people's heads were turned toward them and one of the head waiters was on his way to them with a bit of a scowl on his face.

Hotaru smiled inwardly. She couldn't help but wish she had her camera with her so she could've taken a picture of him. The look on his face when his phone rang was priceless!

Ruka sent an apologetic smile to Hotaru, feeling stupid at forgetting to lower down the volume of his phone. He excused himself and went outside to talk on his cell phone and Hotaru wondered what he could have been about to say.

She was about to mentally list off the possibilities when Stanley went to their table to refill their water goblets.

Then he said, "Having fun Miss Hotaru?" he smiled, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"He's pleasant company." Hotaru answered, knowing where Stanley's going.

"You looked so much like a couple." Stanley commented.

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Well, we're not."

Stanley grinned, "Come on Miss Hotaru, no need to be shy now." And he winked before he left.

Hotaru stared at his retreating back, wondering when he'd stop pestering her. Every time she brings someone here, usually her clients, he and the other staff would tease her. They can't seem to get that she's not really interested in getting into a relationship. They even go as far as scold her whenever they find out she's turned out another suitor.

Besides, this is Ruka. Whatever can happen?

Just then Hotaru can't keep herself from blushing as she remembered a day when she was thirteen.

-

Hotaru smirked as she printed her most recent pictures of Ruka. Already, she knew that by the end of next day, her pockets would be significantly heavier.

As the last picture slid out of the printer, Hotaru collected the pictures to select which of them she would use to advertise to the animals and, Hotaru's smirk grew wider, to Ruka's fan club.

Hotaru used to only take pictures of Ruka's most embarrassing moments. But soon, Hotaru learned that just a picture of Ruka could make her rich. So she took pictures of him whenever she can, or felt like it. What about Ruka? Well… as always, he's ready to try to catch her whenever she did so. Note the word: _try._ Hotaru smirked.

Suddenly, a certain picture caught her eye.

She remembered just how she took the picture that afternoon.

-

Hotaru was walking, camera in hand, as she looked for Ruka.

She found him lying on the grass under the shade of a tree, his hands behind his head and one leg propped up. Hotaru smirked. Perfect.

She crept up to him as quietly as she could, snapped some pictures, and went closer for a close-up picture.

She went clicking away as she went closer and closer. By then, she wanted to get an over head shot of him, thinking that it would look perfect.

She carefully considered her options, then, quickly deciding on the easiest way, she crept closer to him.

As she found herself standing beside him, she stepped one foot over to his other side and bent slightly to get a good angle. As she did so, she readied herself to spring away the moment he wakes up.

She clicked, and with bated breath, she waited him to suddenly wake up and lunge at her.

But nothing happened. So she decided to take further risks and continue taking pictures.

As she bent closer to take another picture, through her lens, she saw a corner of his mouth twist up into a small smile. Feeling a very slight tug in her chest, Hotaru knew immediately this would be a picture which girls and animals would fight over. She snapped a photo.

Then just as she was about to snap another, Ruka suddenly opened his eyes. And snap she did before instinctively jumping away just in time before Ruka could grab a hold of her.

As Hotaru ran from Ruka, she smirked knowing what's in store for her the next day.

-

Hotaru printed the pictures directly from her camera so this was the only time she got to see them.

She was looking at the last picture she took.

Looking at the picture, Hotaru felt as if Ruka was looking directly at her, a small smile on his face and a very soft expression on his face. Had she clicked a fraction of a second later, the picture would not have looked the same for his expression would have already been tainted with surprise and fury. She congratulated herself for a job well done.

She knew at once it would be the perfect picture to use to show as a sample. She knew she would get a lot of orders and reprints for it. She grinned evilly as she thought of how much money she could earn from it.

But… somehow, she found herself setting the picture aside and instead putting it under a pile of research papers.

-

"Sorry about that. They just wanted to confirm some things and asked when I'll be going back." Ruka said as he got back to their table.

Hotaru's blush deepened as she thought of the picture that was now hidden in a drawer in her room.

Ruka glanced at her. "Are you okay?"

Neither of them remembered that Ruka had been trying to say something before the phone call.

Hotaru bit her lip, scolding herself for being silly. Then she practically jumped in surprise as Ruka called her.

"Hotaru?" Ruka asked with uncertainty. "What's wrong? ... You look flushed." Concern was written all over his face.

"I-it's nothing." Hotaru at last answered, stammering slightly. "I'm probably just tired."

Ruka gave her an odd look, but appeared to be content with her answer.

So as the night went on, they talked and caught up with each other's lives, not knowing what was in store for them in the future.

A very near future.

--------------------

**A/N:**

O-kay… I'm still debating whether or not to put this up… But if you're already reading this, obviously I've decided to put this up. I'm not really happy with this one as I think it was a bit boring. But I had to do it so that some things may be explained. :) Anyway, I hope none of you found it horrible.

I told you I tried. But I lack inspiration, and _worse_, I think I my writing's getting worse together with my grammar. Oh dear…

Replies:

**Ms. Song-Ficcy Writer:** I know I said I'll update in a week… or at least, after I got back from vacation, but believe me. I _tried_. Also, losing the 4-page-sized-8-font work, did nothing to bring back the inspiration to me. --; But anyway, I hope this one's good enough for the long wait I put you through. :) Thank you so much for reviewing! (Btw, why do you think its YuuxHotaru's freaky?)

**lil-creator:** Thank you:) I _did_ enjoy my stay there. Very much so. :) Especially in Camiguin. You should try to go there too. ,

**Hiyono-chin:** Well… I hope you still like the story after this chapter. Haha. :p

**kiyuna'yukina: **Don't worry. I'm still just setting up the story. Heh. I can't put too much because it might appear rushed and well… un-real. Which is what I don't want to happen here. :) we want it to go nice and natural, don't we, But for your sake, I tried the best I could. I just hope it wasn't too much.

**Keiko Oda:** Really? Wow… Thanks!

Thank you to all those who reviewed chapter 01! I appreciate it a lot! (**Snow Mirage**, **Ms. Song-Ficcy Writer**, **kryuzei**, **reminiscemina1215**, **EssenceOfFreedom**, **SasuNaru-Love**, **AoKo 503**, **Bolognese**, **hend**, **Keiko Oda**, **DeepSerenityLove**)

And also to those who added this story to their **Favorite Stories** and who added me to their **Favorite Authors**. I love you guys!

Also, I want to thank those ghost readers. Even though you don't leave reviews, do know I still appreciate you reading my story. :)

**Announcement**:

I have decided, for my own reasons, I would not update (assuming that I would have written the next chapter by then) until I get at least **35 reviews**.

One reason is that I'm looking for a well rounded critique on my stories, especially this one. But do know that any review, critical or not, is welcome and appreciated.

Yay.

So yeah. This note has already taken up more space than I intended.

Good day everyone. :)


	4. Author's Note

December 14, 2007 May 19, 2008

Dear Readers (and ghost readers too),

I thought I'd give a notice for you guys to check out the revised chapter 01 of this story. I am currently revising chapter 02 and have plans to continue the story, hopefully, just after school starts (don't worry, my school starts on June).

Please leave a review of the first chapter and tell me how it is. And for those of you who have read the first chapter before, please leave a note telling me which one you think is better. )

Thank you so much for reading! Apologies if I made you think I finally updated. I'm trying my best. (

Well, I'll leave you guys to your reading. ) Again, thank you!

Lots of love,

Autumn Willow (a.k.a. Chanteusse)


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